GAZA CITY
Two Hamas members have denied reports that the Islamist group sought to field Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh for the post of parliament speaker.
"This issue has not been discussed, either inside Hamas or with the Fatah group," Mohamed Farag al-Ghoul, head of Hamas' parliamentary bloc in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency.
"We are tackling all issues step by step within the framework of the reconciliation deal [signed last month between Hamas and Fatah]," he added.
However, he stressed, the idea of fielding Haniyeh for the position "has not been ruled out."
The Ramallah-based Al-Ayam newspaper on Monday reported that Hamas was planning to field Haniyeh as speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to succeed current speaker Aziz Duweik.
"Reports about nominating Haniyeh as PLC speaker are untrue," senior Hamas leader Hassan Youssef told AA, adding that the issue "has not been discussed by the movement or its parliamentary bloc until now."
He went on to say, however, that "all proposals are still up for discussion."
On April 23, the West Bank-based Fatah movement and Hamas, the latter of which rules the Gaza Strip, hammered out a reconciliation deal with a view to healing the rifts that have marred their relations since 2007.
The deal calls for the formation of a national unity government to serve until legislative elections are held in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Tension has been high between Hamas and Fatah, the latter of which controls the Palestinian Authority (PA), since 2007, when Hamas routed troops loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and seized control of the entire Gaza Strip.
Continued conflict between Hamas and Fatah obliged the former to set up its own government in Gaza, while Fatah did the same in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
By Ola Attalah
englishnews@aa.com.tr
